The Fallen
by Lozmasters
Summary: Written for The Houses Competition Year 5 Team: Lions Lesson: Care of Magical Creatures Category: Standard Prompt: Unicorn Word count: 1116


Silence. It was engulfing the school, surrounding it, consuming any sound. Time seemed to stop, everything was frozen in place. Some faces were horrified, some ecstatic, and some confused. The moment seemed stretched out, elongated and warped. The event that had just taken place was shattering. The world would never be the same again.

Then the silence shattered. Cheers and whoops filled the air, enveloping Gryffindor tower, echoing through the dungeons, and even sending a flock of birds from the Forbidden Forest. Thousands of students and teachers jumped up and down, ecstatic, hugging each other and crying. But there was an undercurrent of sorrow to the happy screams, a hidden sob in their laughs of joy, a hint of terror and pain on their battle-worn faces. The war was won, but at what cost?

The Boy Who Lived sat on a tree stump deep in the Forest, twirling his wand and staring dejectedly at a knot in the wood. This very tree was thousands of years old, yet so many people that he knew and loved would never even reach twenty. This very tree was surrounded by many of its own kind, and yet so many of the people he knew were now alone — their loved ones gone. The world would always keep on turning, certain events were shell-shocking for some, but entirely irrelevant for others. Harry shook his head and cursed the world, cursed the way that some people would never recover from today, that some people were lost, that some people who would never be the same, and others would never change. _It's just not fair_, he thought. _Nothing is._

Harry's head shot up as he heard a twig snap somewhere in the Forest behind him. He turned his head, but only caught a glimpse of silver. _Malfoy?_ He thought. _But surely he would be reuniting with his mother? _Another twig snapped, but it was somewhere to the left of him this time. Once again he caught a glimpse of silver. Harry leapt off of his stump,, his wand in his hand. He really hoped he wouldn't have to use it; he had had enough of battle for one lifetime. He didn't have the energy for another fight - not today. Once his feet landed on the soft ground; muddy but coated in a fresh carpet of crispy autumn leaves, he straightened up and surveyed the area. He saw another flash of silver to his left, a flash in front of him and then to his left again. He wondered if there were more than one, or maybe whatever it was simply moved that fast. His head whipped from side to side, and he positioned his feet, getting himself ready to run. Then, a miniature golden creature stepped into Harry's clearing.

The dappled sunlight filtered through the trees and hit the foal's back, refracting and causing rainbows to dance over Harry's skin. He stood and stared in awe. This was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and it was given to him at the end of the ugliest day he could ever remember having. A tear leaked out of the corner of his eye, and his knees suddenly felt weak.

The foal took a tentative step towards him, placing its hoof firmly on the floor. It repeated the motion, staring at the floor where it would place its hoof down before taking each step.

When it was about halfway to Harry, it seemed to gain a little more confidence, looking up and fixing its eyes on him. The eyes were a kaleidoscope of colours, shifting and dancing as Harry stared, transfixed at the beautiful creature. He caught glimpses of purple, orange, turquoise, white, and some colour he didn't think he'd ever seen before. He fell to his knees, and couldn't for the life of him take his eyes away from this delicate creature.

'_Come_,'

He heard the word ringing inside his head as clear as if it were one of his own thoughts. He suddenly found strength inside his limbs, some invisible energy pulling him upwards as if he were attached to a string. The unicorn whirled on the spot, and started walking towards the school, with stronger, more purposeful steps than before.

As Harry mindlessly followed it, and this was when he realised they weren't alone. Hundreds of unicorns were surrounding him, some golden foals and others adults gleaming brilliant white. They were all trotting towards the castle, flooding in from the forest and the gate. It was such a beautiful sight that Harry was overwhelmed. He wanted to shout with rage, how could this be so beautiful and there was no one else here to witness it.

The unicorn at the front of the herd used her horn to push open the castle doors. The other unicorns followed suit, pooling into the Great Hall where the casualties of war lay. Each shimmering creature despondently wandered over to a body, then one by one began to lay down next to the fallen.

Tonks and Lupin. Fred Weasley. Colin Creevey. Lavender Brown. Professor Snape. Each fallen soldier, each sacrificed teacher now had an iridescent companion. Every grieving family member gaped in awe, staring at the additions to the sombre gathering.

In complete sync, every unicorn in the Great Hall lifted their majestic heads. They positioned their shimmering horns over the foreheads of the fallen, together lowering their heads until their horns were resting on their temples. They began to move their noses, etching a symbol onto the dead. But where there would normally be blood, the horns left a blazing emblem. From the center of their foreheads shone a heart, in varying different colours. The room was filled with light, colours leaking together to form a tapestry of love and belonging. The colours got brighter and brighter, until all that could be seen was an ethereal white light. Then the light disappeared, and along with it, the bodies of the fallen. The survivors stood at the edges of the hall, with gaping mouths and tears in their eyes. It was in every way the send-off these people deserved.

The Boy Who Lived stood outside, his back to the heartwarming display. His eyes were fixed on the golden foal that had approached him, now standing on the place where Lord Voldemort had once stood. It braced it's knees, and drove it's head down into the ground. Light seeped from the hole it created, spilling all over the grounds into the shape of a heart. Harry blinked, and when he looked back, the foal was gone, leaving only a white heart on the floor, a permanent reminder to all of this one fateful day.


End file.
